US10670113B2 - Robot arm mechanism - Google Patents
Robot arm mechanism Download PDFInfo
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- US10670113B2 US10670113B2 US16/243,843 US201916243843A US10670113B2 US 10670113 B2 US10670113 B2 US 10670113B2 US 201916243843 A US201916243843 A US 201916243843A US 10670113 B2 US10670113 B2 US 10670113B2
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- guide
- rising
- feed mechanism
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- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 title claims abstract description 113
- 230000000630 rising effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 51
- 125000006850 spacer group Chemical group 0.000 claims description 11
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 claims description 7
- 230000001154 acute effect Effects 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000012636 effector Substances 0.000 description 8
- 210000001503 joint Anatomy 0.000 description 5
- 210000000707 wrist Anatomy 0.000 description 5
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 4
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 1
- 210000002310 elbow joint Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000149 penetrating effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000007921 spray Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000006467 substitution reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001629 suppression Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000003466 welding Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16G—BELTS, CABLES, OR ROPES, PREDOMINANTLY USED FOR DRIVING PURPOSES; CHAINS; FITTINGS PREDOMINANTLY USED THEREFOR
- F16G13/00—Chains
- F16G13/18—Chains having special overall characteristics
- F16G13/20—Chains having special overall characteristics stiff; Push-pull chains
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
- B25J18/00—Arms
- B25J18/02—Arms extensible
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
- B25J9/00—Programme-controlled manipulators
- B25J9/0009—Constructional details, e.g. manipulator supports, bases
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
- B25J9/00—Programme-controlled manipulators
- B25J9/02—Programme-controlled manipulators characterised by movement of the arms, e.g. cartesian coordinate type
- B25J9/04—Programme-controlled manipulators characterised by movement of the arms, e.g. cartesian coordinate type by rotating at least one arm, excluding the head movement itself, e.g. cylindrical coordinate type or polar coordinate type
- B25J9/045—Polar coordinate type
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16H—GEARING
- F16H19/00—Gearings comprising essentially only toothed gears or friction members and not capable of conveying indefinitely-continuing rotary motion
- F16H19/02—Gearings comprising essentially only toothed gears or friction members and not capable of conveying indefinitely-continuing rotary motion for interconverting rotary or oscillating motion and reciprocating motion
- F16H19/06—Gearings comprising essentially only toothed gears or friction members and not capable of conveying indefinitely-continuing rotary motion for interconverting rotary or oscillating motion and reciprocating motion comprising flexible members, e.g. an endless flexible member
- F16H19/0636—Gearings comprising essentially only toothed gears or friction members and not capable of conveying indefinitely-continuing rotary motion for interconverting rotary or oscillating motion and reciprocating motion comprising flexible members, e.g. an endless flexible member the flexible member being a non-buckling chain
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16H—GEARING
- F16H19/00—Gearings comprising essentially only toothed gears or friction members and not capable of conveying indefinitely-continuing rotary motion
- F16H19/02—Gearings comprising essentially only toothed gears or friction members and not capable of conveying indefinitely-continuing rotary motion for interconverting rotary or oscillating motion and reciprocating motion
- F16H19/06—Gearings comprising essentially only toothed gears or friction members and not capable of conveying indefinitely-continuing rotary motion for interconverting rotary or oscillating motion and reciprocating motion comprising flexible members, e.g. an endless flexible member
- F16H19/0663—Gearings comprising essentially only toothed gears or friction members and not capable of conveying indefinitely-continuing rotary motion for interconverting rotary or oscillating motion and reciprocating motion comprising flexible members, e.g. an endless flexible member with telescopic means, e.g. for supporting or shielding the reciprocating member
Definitions
- Embodiments described herein relate generally to a robot arm mechanism.
- the linear extension and retraction mechanism has a first and a second piece strings.
- the first piece string is formed by connecting a plurality of metallic pieces (first pieces) that have a flat plate shape and are bendably connected to one another with a hinge structure, in a string shape.
- the second piece string is formed by connecting a plurality of metallic pieces (second pieces) that have a groove frame shape and are bendably connected to one another with a bearing structure in bottom plates, in a string shape.
- Leading pieces of the first and the second piece strings are connected at tips, and when the first and the second piece strings are fed out forward, the first and the second piece strings are overlapped with each other with a roller unit, have a rigid state secured, and are configured to be a columnar arm having fixed rigidity.
- the first and the second piece strings are pulled backward, the first and the second piece strings are separated behind the roller unit, return to a bendable state respectively, and are stored in a storage section inside a support column.
- Adoption of the linear extension and retraction mechanism to an articulated robot arm mechanism makes an elbow joint section unnecessary, and can easily eliminate a singular point, which makes it a very useful mechanism.
- the linear extension and retraction mechanism can be combined with various joints such as a rising and lowering rotation joint and a turning rotation joint.
- a rising and lowering rotation joint is installed directly before the linear extension and retraction mechanism
- a positional relationship between the roller unit of the linear extension and retraction mechanism, and the storage section storing the first and the second piece strings changes in accordance with rising and lowering movement of the rising and lowering rotation joint which is interposed between the roller unit and the storage section, and a space between the roller unit and the storage section also changes in width.
- the first and the second piece strings repeat reciprocating movement between the storage section and the roller unit. If the space between the roller unit and the storage section is large, there is a possibility that the first and the second pieces deviate from a planned trajectory, and collide with surrounding components, in the process of the reciprocating movement of the first and the second piece strings. Collision of the first and the second pieces with the components not only breaks the components but also could damage the first and the second pieces. Further, as a result that the first and the second piece strings deviate from the planned trajectory, smooth feeding/and pulling-back operation of the arm is likely to be inhibited. In order to reduce these risks, it is necessary to install a mechanism that guides the first and the second pieces, in the space between the storage section and the roller unit.
- Patent Literature 1 Specification of Japanese Patent No. 5435679
- An object is to provide a mechanism that guides first pieces, between a roller unit and a storage section, in a robot arm mechanism having a linear extension and retraction joint.
- a robot arm mechanism comprising a support column section supported by a base, a rising and lowering section including a rising and lowering rotation joint placed on the support column section, and a linear extension and retraction mechanism including an arm with linear extension and retraction properties provided in the rising and lowering section.
- the robot arm mechanism comprises a plurality of first pieces each in a flat plate shape that are bendably connected, a plurality of second pieces each in a groove frame shape that are bendably connected, a head section that connects a head of the first pieces and a head of the second pieces, a feed mechanism section that supports the first and second pieces movably forward and backward, a storage section in a square cylinder shape that is installed in the support column section, and stores the first pieces and the second pieces that are separated, and a guide that guides reciprocating movement of the first pieces between the feed mechanism and the storage section from outside of the first pieces.
- the guide includes a plurality of guide pieces bendably connected in mutual front and rear end surfaces to deform in accordance with rising and lowering movement of the rising and lowering rotation joint, and hangs into the storage section from a tip position where the guide is fixed to the feed mechanism section.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a robot arm mechanism according to the present embodiment.
- FIG. 2 is a side view of the robot arm mechanism in FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating an internal structure of the robot arm mechanism in FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the robot arm mechanism in FIG. 1 by graphic symbol expression.
- FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C are views illustrating a structure of a guide in FIG. 3 .
- FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a structure of a guide piece in FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C .
- FIG. 7 is an assembly diagram of the guide piece in FIG. 6 .
- FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C are supplementary explanatory views for explaining an operation of the guide in FIG. 5 .
- FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a configuration example in which an urging mechanism for urging the guide in FIG. 5 downward is added.
- FIG. 10 is a view illustrating an example of the urging mechanism in FIG. 9 .
- FIG. 1 illustrates an external view of the robot arm mechanism according to the present embodiment.
- FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the robot arm mechanism in FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 3 is a view illustrating an internal structure of the robot arm mechanism in FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the robot arm mechanism in FIG. 1 by graphic symbol expression.
- a support column section 2 is vertically provided on a base 1 in a vertical direction.
- a rising and lowering section 4 is placed on the support column section 2 .
- a linear extension and retraction mechanism is supported by the rising and lowering section 4 to be capable of rising and lowering.
- a wrist section 6 is mounted to a tip of an arm section 5 that is extended and retracted by the linear extension and retraction mechanism.
- a first joint J 1 as a turning rotation joint is housed across a support column lower frame 21 and a storage section 22 .
- the support column lower frame 21 is covered with a cylindrical housing 31 .
- the storage section 22 is connected to a rotating section of the first joint J 1 , and axially rotates around an axis of rotation RA 1 .
- the storage section 22 is covered with a cylindrical housing 32 . With rotation of the first joint J 1 , the storage section 22 rotates with respect to the support column lower frame 21 , and thereby the arm section 5 turns horizontally.
- a first and a second piece strings 51 and 52 of a third joint J 3 as the linear extension and retraction mechanism that will be described later are stored in an inner hollow of the support column section 2 forming a cylindrical body.
- the rising and lowering section 4 that stores a second joint J 2 as a rising and lowering rotation joint is installed on an upper portion of the support column section 2 .
- the second joint J 2 is a bending rotation joint.
- An axis of rotation RA 2 of the second joint J 2 is perpendicular to the axis of rotation RA 1 .
- the rising and lowering section 4 has a pair of side frames 23 as a fixing section (support section) of the second joint J 2 .
- the pair of side frames 23 are covered with a saddle-shaped housing 33 .
- the pair of side frames 23 are connected to the storage section 22 .
- a cylindrical body 24 as a rotating section of the second joint J 2 which is also used as a motor housing, is supported by the pair of side frames 23 .
- a feed mechanism section 25 is attached to a circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 24 .
- the feed mechanism section 25 holds a drive gear 56 , a guide roller 57 , and a roller unit 58 .
- the feed mechanism section 25 rotates, and the arm section 5 that is supported by the feed mechanism section 25 rises and lowers vertically.
- the feed mechanism section 25 is covered with a housing 34 . Between the housings 33 and 34 , a U-shaped bellows cover 14 which is U-shaped in section that follows a rising and lowering movement of the rising and lowering section 4 is installed.
- a guide 80 is attached to the feed mechanism section 25 .
- the guide 80 hangs down by an own weight inside the storage section 22 from a tip position where the guide 80 is fixed to the feed mechanism section 25 through an opposite side of the second piece string 52 with the first piece string 51 between the guide 80 and the second piece string 52 .
- the guide 80 guides first pieces 53 that move between the feed mechanism section 25 and the storage section 22 in an outside of the first pieces 53 .
- the guide 80 defines an outermost contour of a region for movement of the first pieces 53 that move between the feed mechanism section 25 and the storage section 22 . Details of the guide 80 will be described later.
- the third joint J 3 is provided by the linear extension and retraction mechanism.
- the linear extension and retraction mechanism includes a structure that is newly developed by the inventors, and is clearly distinguished from a so-called conventional linear joint from a viewpoint of a movable range.
- the arm section 5 of the third joint J 3 is bendable, bend of the arm section 5 is restricted when the arm section 5 is fed forward from the feed mechanism section 25 at a root of the arm section 5 along a center axis (extension and retraction center axis RA 3 ), and linear rigidity is secured. Bend of the arm section 5 is restored when the arm section 5 is pulled backward.
- the arm section 5 has the first piece string 51 and the second piece string 52 .
- the first piece string 51 includes a plurality of first pieces 53 which are bendably connected to one another.
- the first piece 53 is formed into a substantially flat plate shape.
- the first pieces 53 are bendably connected at hinge portions in end spots.
- the second piece string 52 includes a plurality of second pieces 54 .
- the second piece 54 is formed into a groove frame shaped body having a U-shape in cross section or a cylindrical body having a square shape in cross section.
- the second pieces 54 are bendably connected to one another at hinge portions at bottom plate end spots. Bend of the second piece string 52 is restricted in a position where end surfaces of side plates of the second pieces 54 abut on one another. In that position, the second piece string 52 is arranged linearly.
- the first piece 53 at a head of the first piece string 51 and the second piece 54 at a head of the second piece string 52 are connected by a head piece 55 .
- the head piece 55 has a shape obtained by combining the first piece 53 and the second piece 54 .
- the first and the second piece strings 51 and 52 are pressed by a roller 59 to overlap each other when passing through the roller unit 58 of the feed mechanism section 25 .
- the drive gear 56 is disposed with the guide roller 57 behind the roller unit 58 .
- the drive gear 56 is connected to a motor unit not illustrated.
- a linear gear is formed along a connecting direction in a width center of an inner surface of the first piece 53 , that is, a surface on a side where the first piece 53 overlaps the second piece 54 .
- the drive gear 56 is meshed with the linear gear of the first piece 53 which is pressed by the guide roller 57 .
- the drive gear 56 rotates forward, the first and the second piece strings 51 and 52 are fed forward from the roller unit 58 .
- the drive gear 56 rotates reversely, the first and the second piece strings 51 and 52 are pulled back to behind the roller unit 58 .
- the first and the second piece strings 51 and 52 which are pulled back are separated from each other between the roller unit 58 and the drive gear 56 .
- the first and the second piece strings 51 and 52 which are separated respectively returns to a bendable state.
- the first and the second piece strings 51 and 52 which return to a bendable state both bends in the same direction (inward), and are stored vertically inside the support column section 2 . At this time, the first piece string 51 is stored in a state substantially aligning substantially parallel to the second piece string 52 .
- the wrist section 6 is mounted to the tip of the arm section 5 .
- the wrist section 6 is equipped with a fourth to a sixth joints J 4 to J 6 .
- the fourth to the sixth joints J 4 to J 6 respectively include orthogonal three axes of axes of rotation RA 4 to RA 6 .
- the fourth joint J 4 is a torsional rotation joint with the fourth axis of rotation RA 4 , as a center, which substantially corresponds to the extension and retraction center axes RA 3 , and an end effector is swingably rotated by rotation of the fourth joint J 4 .
- the fifth joint J 5 is a bending rotation joint with the fifth axis of rotation RA 5 , as a center, which is disposed perpendicularly to the fourth axis of rotation RA 4 , and the end effector is tiltably rotated back and forth by rotation of the fifth joint J 5 .
- the sixth joint J 6 is a torsional rotation joint with the sixth axis of rotation RA 6 , as a center, which is disposed perpendicularly to the fourth axis of rotation RA 4 and the fifth axis of rotation RA 5 , and the end effector is axially rotated by rotation of the sixth joint J 6 .
- the end effector (terminal effector) is mounted to an adapter 7 provided at a lower part of a rotating section of the sixth joint J 6 of the wrist section 6 .
- the end effector is a section having a function of the robot directly working an object to be worked (work), and various tools are present in accordance with tasks, such as a grasping section, a vacuum suction section, a nut fastening tool, a welding gun, and a spray gun.
- the end effector is moved to an arbitrary position by the first, second, and third joints J 1 , J 2 and J 3 , and is disposed in an arbitrary posture by the fourth, fifth and sixth joints J 4 , J 5 and J 6 .
- a length of an extension and retraction distance of the arm section 5 of the third joint J 3 enables the end effector to reach objects in a wide range from a position close to the base 1 to a position far from the base 1 .
- the third joint J 3 is a characteristic point different from the conventional linear joint in the linear extension and retraction operation and the length of the extension and retraction distance which are realized by the linear extension and retraction mechanism that configures the third joint J 3 .
- FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C are views illustrating a structure of the guide 80 in FIG. 3 .
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a structure of a guide piece 81 in FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C .
- FIG. 7 is an assembly diagram of the guide piece 81 in FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C .
- the guide 80 has a plurality of guide pieces 81 .
- the plurality of guide pieces 81 are bendably connected in mutual front and rear end portions. Thereby, the guide 80 can change a shape of the guide 80 in accordance with the rising and lowering movement of the rising and lowering section 4 .
- a length of the guide piece 81 influences a change of the shape of the guide 80 .
- a number of bend points per unit length increases, so that the guide piece 81 can be deformed into a more complicated shape.
- increase in the number of bend points per unit length increases a risk of the first pieces 53 being caught by the bend points of the guide 80 when the first pieces 53 collide with the guide 80 , and makes it difficult to deform the guide 80 into a predetermined shape. Therefore, the guide piece 81 should be formed to have an appropriate length.
- the guide 80 guides the first pieces 53 from outside the first pieces 53 . Therefore, the guide piece 81 is typically formed to have a length substantially equivalent to or slightly longer than the length of the first piece 53 . However, this does not deny that the guide piece 81 is formed to be shorter than the first piece 53 .
- a width of the guide piece 81 is typically substantially equivalent to a width of the first piece 53 .
- the guide piece 81 has a pair of rectangular frames 810 and 830 .
- the pair of frames 810 and 830 are respectively formed in same shapes and in same sizes. Note that in a state where the guide 80 is fitted to the feed mechanism section 25 , edges of the frames 810 and 830 that face a first piece 53 side will be referred to as “inner edges”, and edges at an opposite side of the inner edges will be referred to as “outer edges”. Further, the first piece 53 side of the guide 80 will be referred to as an “inner side”, and an opposite side to the inner side will be referred to as an “outer side”.
- the frames 810 and 830 are main components that determines the shape of the guide piece 81 , and are composed of main body portions 812 and 832 in a frame center, front connection portions 811 and 831 in a frame front part, and rear connection portions 813 and 833 in a frame rear part.
- the front connection portions 811 and 831 , the main body portions 812 and 832 , and the rear connection portions 813 and 833 are formed to have same thicknesses.
- the outer edges of the frames 810 and 830 are formed into linear shapes, and the inner edges are formed into bow shapes in which widths become narrower toward the main body portions 812 and 832 in the centers.
- a shape of the frame inner edge exposes a belt 840 that will be described later from the frame inner edge.
- the pair of frames 810 and 830 are connected parallel to each other by spacers 841 and 842 . More specifically, two screw holes 814 and 815 that penetrate in a thickness direction are opened in the main body portion 812 of the one frame 810 . In the main body portion 832 of the other frame 830 , two screw holes 834 and 835 that penetrate in a thickness direction are formed in same positions as positions of the two screw holes 814 and 815 of the one frame 810 respectively.
- the pair of frames 810 and 830 are connected by the first and the second spacers 841 and 842 .
- the first and the second spacers 841 and 842 are elongated circular column bodies, and lengths of the first and the second spacers 841 and 842 are typically substantially equivalent to the width of the first piece 53 .
- the first spacer 841 has one end of the first spacer 841 fastened by a screw in a position of the screw hole 814 in a front part of the one frame 810 , and has the other end fastened by a screw in a position of the screw hole 834 in the front part of the other frame 830 .
- the second spacer 842 has one end of the second spacer 842 fastened by a screw in a position of the screw hole 815 in a rear part of the one frame 810 , and the other end fastened by a screw in a position of the screw hole 835 in the rear part of the other frame 830 .
- the pair of frames 810 and 830 are connected to each other parallel to each other in a state where the pair of frames 810 and 830 are spaced from each other at a fixed distance, typically, a distance substantially equivalent to the width of the first piece 53 .
- back surfaces surfaces on a side where the pair of frames 810 and 830 face each other
- front surfaces surfaces on opposite sides of the back surfaces
- Side surfaces of the guide 80 correspond to the front surfaces of the frames.
- the front surfaces are flat from the front connection portions 811 and 831 through the main body portions 812 and 832 , and steps each with a depth substantially equivalent to the thickness of the main body portions 812 and 832 are provided from the main body portions 812 and 832 to the rear connection portions 813 and 833 .
- the pairs of front and rear frames 810 and 830 are bendably connected to each other by the shaft 843 .
- shaft receiving portions 816 and 836 are formed on the back surfaces of the front connection portions 811 and 831 of the pair of frames 810 and 830 .
- the shaft receiving portion 816 is a shallow recess having a same sectional shape as the shaft 843 .
- shaft holes 818 and 838 that penetrate in the thickness direction are opened respectively.
- the shaft 843 is suspended from a bottom surface of the shaft receiving portion 816 of the one frame 810 to a bottom surface of a shaft receiving portion 836 of the other frame 830 through the shaft holes 818 and 838 .
- the front and rear guide pieces 81 are connected bendably with the shaft 843 as a center.
- bearings may be mounted to the inner walls of the respective shaft holes 818 and 838 .
- the shaft 843 is not fixed to the respective pairs of front and rear frames 810 and 830 , a connection state of the front and rear guide pieces 81 is kept by the shaft 843 , as long as the pair of frames 810 and 830 are held in a state separated by the fixed distance by the spacers 841 and 842 .
- a bend angle of the guide piece 81 can be restricted by a stopper mechanism fitted to an end portion of the guide piece 81 .
- the bend angle of the guide piece 81 in this case is a rotation angle around the shaft 843 , of the front guide piece 81 to the rear guide piece 81 .
- the bend angle of the guide piece 81 is zero degrees in a state where the two front and rear guide pieces 81 are linearly aligned.
- the bend angle of the guide piece 81 is 90 degrees in a state where the front guide piece 81 is bent to an outer edge side of the frame perpendicularly to the rear guide piece 81
- the bend angle of the guide piece 81 is ⁇ 90 degrees in a state where the front guide piece 81 is bent to an inner edge side of the frame perpendicularly to the rear guide piece 81 .
- the stopper mechanism has an abutment pin 844 and a slit 817 .
- the slit 817 is provided on the back surface of the front connection portion 811 of the one frame 810 .
- the slit 817 is formed into an arc shape with a center axis of the shaft receiving portion 816 as a center.
- a pin hole 819 that penetrates in a thickness direction is opened.
- a non-penetrating pin receiving portion 839 is formed in the rear connection portion 833 of the other frame 830 .
- the abutment pin 844 is suspended from a bottom surface of the pin receiving portion 839 to a bottom surface of the slit 817 through the pin hole 819 .
- the abutment pin 844 moves in the slit 817 in accordance with a bending operation of the guide piece 81 .
- the abutment pin 844 is not fixed to the respective pairs of front and rear frames 810 and 830 either, the abutment pin 844 does not remove from the pin receiving portion 839 and the slit 817 , as long as the pair of frames 810 and 830 are held in the state separated by a fixed distance by the spacers 841 and 842 .
- the guide 80 is equipped with a member having flexibility on a side facing the first pieces 53 .
- a belt 840 having flexibility is laid between the adjacent guide pieces 81 . Consequently, two pulleys 845 and 846 are interposed between a pair of frames 810 and 830 of the guide piece 81 .
- the two pulleys 845 and 846 are pivotally supported by the shaft 843 that bendably connects the front and rear guide pieces 81 .
- Diameters of the pulleys 845 and 846 are longer than widths of the frame main body portions 812 and 832 , and typically are equivalent to maximum widths of the frames 810 and 830 or slightly shorter than the maximum widths of the frames 810 and 830 . From the leading guide piece 81 to the tail guide piece 81 of the plurality of guide pieces 81 , the belt 840 is alternately laid on the pulleys 845 and 846 .
- the belt 840 having flexibility is laid on the pulley 845 at one side of the guide piece 81 and the pulley 845 at one side of the rear guide piece 81
- the belt 840 having flexibility is laid on the pulley 846 at the other side of the guide piece 81 and the pulley 846 at the other side of the front guide piece 81
- the bow shapes of the inner edges of the frames 810 and 830 cause the belt 840 to protrude inward with respect to the inner edges of the frames 810 and 830 .
- the leading guide piece 81 of the plurality of guide pieces 81 is equipped with an adapter 85 .
- the guide 80 is fixed to the feed mechanism section 25 at the rotation side of the rising and lowering rotation joint J 2 via the adapter 85 .
- the guide 80 which is fixed to the feed mechanism section 25 is suspended by the own weight to inside of the storage section 22 , by passing through an opposite side to the second piece string 52 with the first piece string 51 between the guide 80 and the second piece string 52 , from the feed mechanism section 25 .
- the guide 80 guides the first pieces 53 that move between the feed mechanism section 25 and the storage section 22 , in an outside of the first pieces 53 .
- the guide 80 is suspended into the storage section 22 from the feed mechanism section 25 , and movement of a rear end of the guide 80 is restricted to a vertical direction of the support column section 2 by engaging the rear end of the guide 80 with a linear slide mechanism.
- the linear slide mechanism realizes suppression of swing of the guide 80 , and avoidance of collision of the guide 80 with surroundings.
- the linear slide mechanism includes a slider 86 and a linear rail 221 .
- the slider 86 is installed by a ring runner, and the linear rail 221 is installed by a poll, respectively.
- the slider 86 linearly reciprocates along the linear rail 221 .
- the slider 86 is mounted to the guide piece 81 at a tail end.
- the linear rail 221 is installed inside the storage section 22 to be parallel to a center axis of the storage section 22 .
- FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C are explanatory views for explaining an operation of the guide 80 that follows rising and lowering movement of the rising and lowering rotation joint J 2 .
- FIG. 8A illustrates a shape of the guide 80 at a time of the rising and lowering section 4 being in a most raised posture (at a time of a rising and lowering angle of zero degrees).
- FIG. 8B illustrates a shape of the guide 80 at a time of a horizontal posture of the robot arm mechanism.
- FIG. 8C illustrates a shape of the guide 80 at a time of the rising and lowering section 4 being in a most lowered posture (at a time of the rising and lowering angle being maximum).
- the guide 80 When the rising and lowering section 4 is in the most raised posture, the guide 80 forms a substantially linear shape. At this time, a rear portion of the guide 80 is stored inside the storage section 22 along the poll 221 .
- a front portion of the guide 80 forms a substantially arc shape with the axis of rotation RA 2 as the center, and a rear portion forms a substantially linear shape.
- the guide 80 When the rising and lowering section 4 is in the most lowered posture, the guide 80 forms a substantially arc shape with the axis of rotation RA 2 as a center. In accordance with the rising and lowering movement of the rising and lowering section 4 , the guide 80 gradually deforms from the substantially linear shape to the substantially circular arc shape.
- the feed mechanism section 25 rotates a predetermined angle around the axis of rising and lowering rotation RA 2 .
- the guide 80 is pulled around the axis of rising and lowering rotation RA 2 by the feed mechanism section 25 , and the rear portion of the guide 80 is gradually pulled out of the storage section 22 , and the guide 80 moves along the circular arc with the axis of rising and lowering rotation RA 2 as the center while gradually bending the guide pieces 81 to inside in order from the leading guide piece 81 .
- the bend angle of the guide piece 81 is restricted so that the guide 80 moves along the circular arc with the axis of rising and lowering rotation RA 2 as the center.
- a length and position of the slit 817 of each of the plurality of guide pieces 81 are adjusted so that the limit angle at which the guide 80 bends outward is zero or an approximate value of zero.
- the guide piece 81 is unable to bend outward with respect to the rear guide piece 81 , so that bend to outside of an intermediate portion of the guide 80 can be avoided, and the entire guide 80 can be deformed in a shape which is determined in advance.
- positions of both ends of the slit 817 of each of the plurality of guide pieces 81 are adjusted, so that the limit angle at which the guide 80 bends inward is an acute angle.
- the bend angle to inside of the guide 80 can be roughly set in accordance with what amount of portion around the axis of rotation RA 2 needs to be covered by how many guide pieces 81 .
- the inward bend angle of the guide piece 81 is restricted to approximately 36 degrees.
- the guide 80 can deform into the circular arc shape with the axis of rotation RA 2 as the center without deforming into a distorted circular arc shape in which the intermediate portion is significantly bent inward.
- the guide 80 bends in a restricted angle range by restricting the bend angle of the guide pieces 81 in this way, so that when the guide 80 deforms from the linear state to the circular arc shape (or an arch shape) with the rising and lowering movement, a gradual circular arc shape (or arch shape) can be drawn from the feed mechanism section 25 to the storage section 22 by restricting a maximum value of a curvature of the circular arc.
- deforming the guide 80 into the circular arc shape with the axis of rotation RA 2 as the center contributes to smooth feeding out/pulling back of the first pieces 53 by the guide 80 .
- an urging mechanism that urges the guide 80 to a lower part of the storage section 22 may be added.
- the guide 80 winds and is entangled to inhibit movement of the pieces 53 and 54 , for example, when the support column section 2 is suspended from a ceiling, or is installed to protrude horizontally from a side wall, and the urging mechanism avoid the situation like this, and can increase a degree of freedom of installation.
- an urging force of the urging mechanism is generated by, for example, a tensile coil spring 90 .
- a cable 91 is connected to a tip of the coil spring 90 .
- the cable 91 is connected to the guide piece 81 at the tail end via a pulley 88 at a lower end of the storage section 22 .
- a rear end of the tension spring 90 is fixed by a cable fixing tool 89 in about a middle in the storage section 22 via a cable 87 .
- Adoption of the pulley 88 can avoid the situation in which a lowermost position of the guide 80 is restricted.
- the urging force of the urging mechanism is not limited to the force that is generated by the coil spring 90 .
- An expansible cable of a rubber or the like may be adopted.
- a structure may be adopted, in which a rear end of the cable 91 is connected to a cable bobbin including a torsion spring.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Robotics (AREA)
- Manipulator (AREA)
- Transmission Devices (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims (10)
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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JP2016-150881 | 2016-07-30 | ||
JP2016150881 | 2016-07-30 | ||
PCT/JP2017/027108 WO2018025725A1 (en) | 2016-07-30 | 2017-07-26 | Robot arm mechanism |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/JP2017/027108 Continuation WO2018025725A1 (en) | 2016-07-30 | 2017-07-26 | Robot arm mechanism |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20190145498A1 US20190145498A1 (en) | 2019-05-16 |
US10670113B2 true US10670113B2 (en) | 2020-06-02 |
Family
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Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US16/243,843 Expired - Fee Related US10670113B2 (en) | 2016-07-30 | 2019-01-09 | Robot arm mechanism |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US10670113B2 (en) |
JP (1) | JP6659846B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN109562523B (en) |
DE (1) | DE112017003832B4 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2018025725A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
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US11279048B2 (en) * | 2019-10-23 | 2022-03-22 | Fanuc Corporation | Linear expansion mechanism |
US20230139801A1 (en) * | 2021-11-01 | 2023-05-04 | Oliver Crispin Robotics Limited | Insertion tool with flexible spine |
Families Citing this family (8)
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JP2016125588A (en) * | 2014-12-29 | 2016-07-11 | ライフロボティクス株式会社 | Direct-acting expansion mechanism and robot arm mechanism |
DE112017001033T5 (en) * | 2016-02-29 | 2019-01-03 | Life Robotics Inc. | ROBOT ARM MECHANISM AND LINEAR EXTRACTION MECHANISM |
JP7387257B2 (en) * | 2018-09-21 | 2023-11-28 | オークマ株式会社 | robot unit |
US11371437B2 (en) * | 2020-03-10 | 2022-06-28 | Oliver Crispin Robotics Limited | Insertion tool |
JP7314857B2 (en) * | 2020-04-30 | 2023-07-26 | トヨタ自動車株式会社 | Telescopic mechanism and moving body |
US12091981B2 (en) | 2020-06-11 | 2024-09-17 | General Electric Company | Insertion tool and method |
WO2022019195A1 (en) * | 2020-07-21 | 2022-01-27 | ファナック株式会社 | Linear motion mechanism |
CN113107938B (en) * | 2021-04-02 | 2022-05-06 | 桂林理工大学 | Bendable sleeve and telescopic structure |
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- 2017-07-26 CN CN201780047538.XA patent/CN109562523B/en not_active Withdrawn - After Issue
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US11279048B2 (en) * | 2019-10-23 | 2022-03-22 | Fanuc Corporation | Linear expansion mechanism |
US20230139801A1 (en) * | 2021-11-01 | 2023-05-04 | Oliver Crispin Robotics Limited | Insertion tool with flexible spine |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JPWO2018025725A1 (en) | 2019-05-30 |
DE112017003832B4 (en) | 2023-05-17 |
DE112017003832T5 (en) | 2019-04-11 |
WO2018025725A1 (en) | 2018-02-08 |
CN109562523B (en) | 2022-03-15 |
CN109562523A (en) | 2019-04-02 |
US20190145498A1 (en) | 2019-05-16 |
JP6659846B2 (en) | 2020-03-04 |
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